Experiences with the Folio Society?

I have a UK newspaper insert with an introductory offer to join the Folio
Society: four Pevsner guides (and a pen and another book) for £15 (that
includes the P&P), with an obligation to buy two more books by 1 March
2006. The flyer also says "We will never send you a book that you have not
specifically ordered."

I really like the Pevsner guides so this is very tempting, but it almost
seems "too good to be true" (and a relative had a lot of hassle with an
unrelated book club).

Any comments, good or bad?

Thanks,
Adam

Adam Funk wrote:

Any comments, good or bad?

No comments of my own (I've never joined, and probably wouldn't, but
that doesn't mean it's not worth joining, just that it's not right for
me), but here's a basically positive thread from an online discussion
group:

http://collectedmiscellany.com/archives/000130.php

There's also this from the rcb archives:

http://tinyurl.com/cetvf

There may be other old rcb threads that are of interest; check he

http://tinyurl.com/e3kbl

The thing to bear in mind, I guess, is that these are nice reading
copies, but they're not really collectibles (of course, people, *do*
collect them, but what I mean is they won't acquire collectible value).

John
http://rarebooksinjapan.org

I was a member for many years, Along with my wife we bought the
complete sets of Trollope and Austen, fine box sets of Chandler and
Peake, a really gorgeous Grimms Fairy Tales volume, ditto for The Norse
Myths and many (too many) folklore and history books and biographies.
We never had a bad deal from them. They generally post on time, they
take returns with good grace (rarely needed), and there have been no
billing problems. They also do some really nifty free gifts for members
from time to time.

Willie
http://www.willie.meikle.btinternet.co.uk

On Wed, 23 Nov 2005 11:14:54 +0000, Adam Funk wrote:

I have a UK newspaper insert with an introductory offer to join the Folio
Society: four Pevsner guides (and a pen and another book) for £15 (that
includes the P&P), with an obligation to buy two more books by 1 March
2006. The flyer also says "We will never send you a book that you have
not specifically ordered."

I really like the Pevsner guides so this is very tempting, but it almost
seems "too good to be true" (and a relative had a lot of hassle with an
unrelated book club).

Any comments, good or bad?

Thanks,
Adam

It is good and it is true.

I have been a member (on and off) since the early 1980's. They have an
interesting selection of very high quality books at reasonable (but not
cheap) prices. There is a market for used Folio Society books but you
won't get rich collecting them.

Once you are a member they will send you additional offers for books not
in their general catalog. Some are published by them and some by others. I
just got _The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend_ for half
the published price (and it sells for full price on Amazon with a 1 to 2
month wait!). This was not a "book club" edition but a first edition from
Oxford Press.

Some of their offerings are for limited, numbered, editions of super high
quality books (with matching prices). They have sent me offers for books
well over $1000! but this is very rare. I couldn't resist the
leather-bound set of Lord of the Rings and was quite satisfied when I got
it, even at over $200 (US) per volume. I think I could at least get my
money back on the used market as I have seen it offered for a similar
price.

Service is excellent. Twice over the years I received books damaged in
shipping (despite fairly good packaging) and they sent me replacements
immediately. Their higher-priced books come with packaging that is very
protective. I think my Rings set was hand delivered and required a
signature.

Give it a try. There is no additional commitment beyond the original
offer. You don't even need to "opt out".

Bob

Adam Funk wrote:
I have a UK newspaper insert with an introductory offer to join the Folio
Society: four Pevsner guides (and a pen and another book) for £15 (that
includes the P&P), with an obligation to buy two more books by 1 March
2006. The flyer also says "We will never send you a book that you have not
specifically ordered."

I really like the Pevsner guides so this is very tempting, but it almost
seems "too good to be true" (and a relative had a lot of hassle with an
unrelated book club).

Any comments, good or bad?

Thanks,
Adam

Adam,

I have been a member of the Folio Society for many years, and it is
certainly true that they will never send you a book you do not
specifically order. Perhaps the main problem is that the regular books
are pricey, although the price range is large. They are very well-made
and attractive editions of both great and not-so-great books. But if
you only have to buy two more books to fulfill your membership
agreement, you can go to www.foliosociety.com and look over the list of
current books and see if there are two that you might want to pay the
money for.

Gary Pfeifer

On Wed, 23 Nov 2005 14:19:48 GMT, Bob wrote:

On Wed, 23 Nov 2005 11:14:54 +0000, Adam Funk wrote:

I have a UK newspaper insert with an introductory offer to join the Folio
Society: four Pevsner guides (and a pen and another book) for £15 (that
includes the P&P), with an obligation to buy two more books by 1 March
2006. The flyer also says "We will never send you a book that you have
not specifically ordered."

I really like the Pevsner guides so this is very tempting, but it almost
seems "too good to be true" (and a relative had a lot of hassle with an
unrelated book club).

Any comments, good or bad?

Thanks,
Adam

It is good and it is true.

I have been a member (on and off) since the early 1980's. They have an
interesting selection of very high quality books at reasonable (but not
cheap) prices. There is a market for used Folio Society books but you
won't get rich collecting them.

Once you are a member they will send you additional offers for books not
in their general catalog. Some are published by them and some by others. I
just got _The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend_ for half
the published price (and it sells for full price on Amazon with a 1 to 2
month wait!). This was not a "book club" edition but a first edition from
Oxford Press.

Some of their offerings are for limited, numbered, editions of super high
quality books (with matching prices). They have sent me offers for books
well over $1000! but this is very rare. I couldn't resist the
leather-bound set of Lord of the Rings and was quite satisfied when I got
it, even at over $200 (US) per volume. I think I could at least get my
money back on the used market as I have seen it offered for a similar
price.

Service is excellent. Twice over the years I received books damaged in
shipping (despite fairly good packaging) and they sent me replacements
immediately. Their higher-priced books come with packaging that is very
protective. I think my Rings set was hand delivered and required a
signature.

Give it a try. There is no additional commitment beyond the original
offer. You don't even need to "opt out".

Bob


I've never had cause for complaint, and frequently been delighted.

Cheers,

John

"williemeikle" wrote in message
oups.com...

I was a member for many years, Along with my wife we bought the
complete sets of Trollope and Austen, fine box sets of Chandler and
Peake, a really gorgeous Grimms Fairy Tales volume, ditto for The Norse
Myths and many (too many) folklore and history books and biographies.
We never had a bad deal from them. They generally post on time, they
take returns with good grace (rarely needed), and there have been no
billing problems. They also do some really nifty free gifts for members
from time to time.

It helps to remember the Folio Society's original aims
to which the organization has remained remarkably
faithful. These we
1. The general shortage of books in Britain after
the Second World War, when many classics were
out of print and unobtainable except second-hand.
(Paternoster Row, traditional centre of the publishing
industry, was destroyed by fire early in the London
Blitz, i.e. the warehouse inventory vanished.)
2. Market preference for durable and elegant
hardbound editions, at least in the case of classics
a purchaser would keep for ever and reread.

Thus the Folio Society was probably the first London
publisher to bring out hardcover editions in the postwar
years of books like Tom Jones, Crime and Punishment,
Aubrey's Brief Lives etc. (It also maintained a members'
bar in London, where I used to drop in in 1955, that may
have encouraged the interest in Beaujolais Nouveau . . .)

Decades later most of the titles offered by the Folio
Society faced the competition of other hardcover editions
from other publishers: so Folio turned somewhat towards
"collectibles," i.e. editions bound or illustrated more
attractively than rival products. Folio's hard cover Arabia
Deserta or Vanity Fair may nowadays cost more than
what competitors offer: but is intended to appeal to
"the collector" no less than the constant reader.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Don Phillipson wrote:
"williemeikle" wrote in message
oups.com...


I was a member for many years, Along with my wife we bought the
complete sets of Trollope and Austen, fine box sets of Chandler and
Peake, a really gorgeous Grimms Fairy Tales volume, ditto for The Norse
Myths and many (too many) folklore and history books and biographies.
We never had a bad deal from them. They generally post on time, they
take returns with good grace (rarely needed), and there have been no
billing problems. They also do some really nifty free gifts for members
from time to time.


It helps to remember the Folio Society's original aims
to which the organization has remained remarkably
faithful. These we
1. The general shortage of books in Britain after
the Second World War, when many classics were
out of print and unobtainable except second-hand.
(Paternoster Row, traditional centre of the publishing
industry, was destroyed by fire early in the London
Blitz, i.e. the warehouse inventory vanished.)
2. Market preference for durable and elegant
hardbound editions, at least in the case of classics
a purchaser would keep for ever and reread.

Thus the Folio Society was probably the first London
publisher to bring out hardcover editions in the postwar
years of books like Tom Jones, Crime and Punishment,
Aubrey's Brief Lives etc. (It also maintained a members'
bar in London, where I used to drop in in 1955, that may
have encouraged the interest in Beaujolais Nouveau . . .)

Decades later most of the titles offered by the Folio
Society faced the competition of other hardcover editions
from other publishers: so Folio turned somewhat towards
"collectibles," i.e. editions bound or illustrated more
attractively than rival products. Folio's hard cover Arabia
Deserta or Vanity Fair may nowadays cost more than
what competitors offer: but is intended to appeal to
"the collector" no less than the constant reader.

The only Folio edition I have is E.M. Delafield's
*Diary of a Provincial Lady*. This no longer well
known novella takes the form of a handsome but not
extravagantly produced boxed book made more palatable
by the absolutely spot-on illustrations by Nicolas
Bentley (see Wikipedia).

I'm not a joiner but if I were the Folio Society
might be one of the first.

ff (first folio?)

"John Pelan" wrote in message
...

I've never had cause for complaint, and frequently been delighted.

My inventory of Folio Society items includes . . .

Aubrey's Brief Lives
Edwardes Life of the Buddha
Donne's Love Poems
Daudet, Tartarin of Tarascon
Crime and Punishment
Tom Jones
Herodotus
Hogwood, Music at Court
Toulouse Lautrec lithographs
Natural History of Selborne

Half were bought in the late 1950s, the
rest in the last 5 years. (I am currently
seeking good hard cover editions of
paperbacks reread to destruction, and
monitor ABE for Folio editions of Hazlitt,
Greville etc.)

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Don Phillipson wrote:
"John Pelan" wrote in message
...

I've never had cause for complaint, and frequently been delighted.

My inventory of Folio Society items includes . . .

Aubrey's Brief Lives
Edwardes Life of the Buddha
Donne's Love Poems
Daudet, Tartarin of Tarascon
Crime and Punishment
Tom Jones
Herodotus
Hogwood, Music at Court
Toulouse Lautrec lithographs
Natural History of Selborne

Half were bought in the late 1950s, the
rest in the last 5 years. (I am currently
seeking good hard cover editions of
paperbacks reread to destruction, and
monitor ABE for Folio editions of Hazlitt,
Greville etc.)

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

You could monitor bookfinder,com and perhaps pick up a few more
listings.

David Ames